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Saturday, October 16, 2010

NLCS Preview: Phillies vs. Giants

For the third straight season, the Phillies will be battling it out for a chance to move on to the World Series with a team from California. This year the Dodgers sit at home, while a new contender, the San Francisco Giants, has stepped up. As the Phillies look to become the first National League team to win 3 straight National League Championship Series, the Giants will seek to surprise many around baseball, as they are widely considered the underdog.

The focus in this series will be on the pitchers and each team will send its ace to the mound for game 1. For the Giants, it will be Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, who tossed a complete game shut out against Atlanta in his postseason debut last week. For the Phillies, it will be Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay, who hurled a no-hitter against Cincinnati in his postseason debut last week. Neither pitcher expects a repeat of their gems from his last time out, but that doesn't mean both men won't be trying.

Offense is expected to be at a minimum in this series, which means every little thing counts. It'll be up to the teams to play as flawlessly as they can, as the squad with the fewest mistakes could very well prevail as the victor.

Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and loads more information on this series.

Game 1 in Philadelphia- Saturday 10/16, 7:57pm. Tim Lincecum (16-10, 3.43 ERA in regular season) vs. Roy Halladay (21-10, 2.44 ERA in regular season). In 7 career games against the Phillies, Lincecum is 2-1 with a 3.17 ERA and a .199 batting average against. In his last 7 starts, Lincecum has posted a 6-1 record with a 1.62 ERA. Chase Utley is 2-for-20 (.100 avg) with a homerun in his career against Lincecum. In 16 road starts this season, Lincecum went 7-3 with a 3.17 ERA. In 3 career starts against San Francisco, Halladay has a 0-2 record with a 7.23 ERA. Halladay has thrown 7 or more innings and allowed 0 runs in 4 of his last 10 starts. Pat Burrell is 6-for-18 (.333 avg) in his career against Halladay. In 15 starts since the All-star break, Halladay has posted a 12-3 record with a 2.58 ERA.

Game 2 in Philadelphia- Sunday 10/17, 8:19pm. Jonathan Sanchez (13-9, 3.07 ERA in regular season) vs. Roy Oswalt (13-13, 2.76 ERA in regular season). In his last 8 starts, Sanchez has posted a 4-1 record with a 1.06 ERA. In 9 career games against the Phillies, Sanchez has a 3-1 record and a 2.86 ERA with a .175 batting average against. Sanchez has allowed just 2 earned runs in 14 innings pitched at Citizens Bank Park in his career. Jimmy Rollins is 1-for-16 (.086 avg) in his career against Sanchez, while Jayson Werth is 0-for-12 against Sanchez. In 17 career starts against the Giants, Oswalt has a 6-8 record with a 3.61 ERA. In his last 5 home starts, Oswalt is 3-0 with a 2.18 ERA. Juan Uribe is 6-for-16 (.375 avg) with a homer against Oswalt in his career.

Game 3 in San Francisco - Tuesday 10/19, 4:19pm. Matt Cain (13-11, 3.14 ERA in regular season) vs. Cole Hamels (12-11, 3.06 ERA). In 5 career appearances against Philadelphia, Cain has a 0-3 record with a 6.23 ERA. In his last 5 starts, Cain is 2-1 with a 2.20 ERA. Jimmy Rollins is 6-for-10 (.600 avg) with a double, 3 triples and a HR in his career against Cain, while Chase Utley is 7-for-15 (.467 avg) with a double and 3 homers against Cain. In 15 regular season starts after the All-star break, Cain posted a 7-3 record with a 2.91 ERA. In 18 home starts this season, Hamels posted a 7-6 record with a 3.14 ERA. In 8 career starts against San Francisco, Hamels is 4-2 with a 4.67 ERA. In his last 8 starts, Hamels is 6-1 with a 1.22 ERA. Cody Ross is 9-for-30 (.300 avg) with 4 homeruns in his career against Hamels.

Game 4 in San Francisco- Wednesday 10/20, 7:57pm. Madison Bumgarner (7-6, 3.00 ERA in regular season) vs. Joe Blanton (9-6, 4.82 ERA in regular season). In his last 7 starts, the left-handed rookie Bumgarner has posted a 3-2 record with a 1.43 ERA. In 8 starts at home this season, Bumgarner had a 1-3 record with a 4.60 ERA and a .303 batting average against. In 7 career starts against the Giants, Blanton has a 2-3 record with a 4.72 ERA. Blanton has not lost a start since July 21st. The Phillies are 10-1 in Blanton's last 11 starts. Juan Uribe is 1-for-11 (.091 avg) in his career against Blanton.

Game 5 in San Francisco if necessary- Thursday 10/21, 7:57pm. Game 6 in Philadelphia if necessary- Saturday 10/23, 3:57pm or 7:57pm.Game 7 in Philadelphia if necessary- Sunday 10/24, 7:57pm.

Aaron Rowand is a .293 hitter with 23 HR in 150 games played at Citizens Bank Park in his career. In 207 career regular season games played at AT&T Park, Rowand is a .250 hitter with 17 HR.

Brian Wilson posted a 1.65 ERA in 32 road games this season. In 8 career games against the Phillies, Wilson is 0-1 with 4 saves in 6 chances and a 6.43 ERA.

Andres Torres is 2-for-16 (.125 avg) thus far in the playoffs.

Carlos Ruiz has a .299 batting average in 35 career playoff games. In 20 career games against San Francisco, Ruiz has a .228 average.

Jimmy Rollins is a .221 hitter in 35 career playoff games. Rollins is 1-for-11 (.091 avg) thus far in this year's playoffs.

In 6 career games against San Francisco, JC Romero has a 1-1 record with a blown save and a 10.13 ERA. In 24 career postseason games, Romero has a 3.20 ERA.